The Hardest Burden to Bear
by Maji
Summary: I remember the humans... I was just a girl when the war started between them and our kind... Then they were gone. I haven't seen one in so long... No one has really..." - Lizzy, Every race has its burdens to bear...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Anything biological in this story is mine. Dog, human, horse, bald headed rabbit named Bill. Though if someone else would like to use them just ask. The cars of course belong to Pixar. Mostly. Seth is my baby. As well as will be a few others that will pop up. I'll point them out as we go.

Notes: It starts again! Ok let me explain something. Life's Lessons and Death's Lessons were part of a Lessons series. That series is over with Life's Lessons. However the story is not over yet. In a nut shell the story goes on. This takes place a few months after Life's Lessons. It also includes a general recap of what has happened to this point so if you decided that the Lessons stories were to much for you you shouldn't be to entirely confused. However this one will be a little disturbing in parts as well. Just a light warning. Also note that this means if you are still reading those stories read them first because this story will most certainly give away the ending. Note that this was not meant to come next. This is by popular demand! Anyway enjoy! And Rock on! As always please review!

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Bright golds and pinks spread across the sky in a dazzling light show of color, reflecting the hues of red and orange of the surrounding landscape as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. Darkness was slowly cast away as the life giving light of the morning sun slowly washed its way over the land.

Silence of the night had not let up just yet as an early morning mist settled upon the Earth, obscuring the early morning sunrise into a that of a soft blue as the sun gained ground, the gentle rays lighting up the dessert into the wooded area beyond. Trees where thin near the edge of where the dessert started but thickened into a thick wooded underbrush quickly enough closer to the river that came down from the mountains, feeding the surrounding plant life and bringing on a trail of greenery in an otherwise barren landscape.

Silence was cut by the soft chirping sounds of birds and the rush of water from the river, the waterfalls bringing it down from the mountains creating a dull roar of in the distance. Perfect peace and serenity flowed across the valley, the fine mist that hung over the river and surrounding woods creating a soft blanket of serenity.

The silence was shattered abruptly, the shards of serenity crashing down among the trees as a sharp, harsh bark like sound sent the birds scattering in all directions. The sound was persistent and irritating, that deep bellowing sound cutting through the trees like a blade, sending the woodland creatures scattering in all directions.

It was quick, rapid and loud, cutting its way through the peace and quiet and ending in a hurried, cut off yip sound different from the first. Still the birds refused to remain in the area as they scattered from the trees, hitting the sky and heading for higher ground in the mountains, rather than remain with whatever it was in the valley.

After several minutes, a heavy silence once more fell on the valley.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Did you hear it?" It was the first question out of Mater's mouth as he came tearing up to Flo's cafe. The once proud station wasn't as it had always been. It was slowly on it's way up, however the actual building was still under construction, the roof that would have kept off the weather half finished and under construction. However as unfinished as the place was, the fuel tanks worked. Which Flo had open. She couldn't afford it otherwise. The insurance company had picked up a lot but not everything. She had to be in business. After the explosion from her station that had nearly knocked out half the town, the fuel tanks were the first thing to come back. The local habitants simply stared at him over their morning fuel as if Mater had lost his mind. The excitable tow truck was hopping back and forth with that odd method of shooting back and forth from someone who was excited over something to someone who was scared senseless. Though for this brief moment in time it looked as if his fear had given way to intense excitement.

"Did you hear it? This morning!" He repeated, pausing in his jumping for a moment to stare at the others gathered.

"Mater it might help if you tell us what 'it' is." Doc reprimanded with an infinite amount of patience.

"The howler!"

"Oh not that old story again..." Sheriff closed his eyes, a slow shake of his grill given as he heaved a heavy sigh.

"I heard it! This morning!" Mater insisted with a quick nod.

"Mater, that story is just an old campfire story that folks tell in these parts. Don't take it to heart." Doc insisted, gaining a slight nod from Sheriff.

"Actually Doc I kinda heard it to." The entire group turned their attention briefly onto Seth who only shrugged a bit. "Well I did."

"See? It's real!" Mater insisted with a quick nod, gaining a heavy sigh from Doc.

"You probably heard a tractor or somebody's pet scooter. Nothing to worry about Mater." Doc insisted with a slight nod and quietly shifted into gear. "Now if y'all will excuse me I have some work to do before this afternoon." Doc muttered, silently pulling out of the cafe.

Mater's gaze instantly went to the other's somewhat expectantly. "Well?"

"He's probably right Mater. Now that the Wheel Well is open again, there have been a lot of people up there. Might have been someone who brought their pet scooter or somethin' camping. Might have even been someone up there playin' tricks. Don't let them get to you." Sheriff advised, silently kicking into gear himself and rolling off to head out onto patrol.

Mater's gaze swept around to Seth who only shrugged. "He's right. It didn't sound like a scooter but what else could it have been?" Seth theorized with a shrug, silently shifting into gear himself and following after Sheriff.

"Hey Mater, calm down would ya? I mean there's no sense in going looking for the weird stuff that happens in the desert." Lightning advised, gaining a slight nod of agreement from Sally.

"Lightning's right. It was probably just some creature. I mean this is the early spring. For all we know he was just happy to be alive." She pointed out, a soft smile crossing her grill. "Well I'm going back to work." She declared, silently finishing off the last of her fuel and rolling towards the Cozy Cone.

"She's right ya know." Lightning pointed out, silently backing up and taking off in the direction of the Butte.

Mater gave a blink and sighed quietly as the rest of the town disbursed, heading off to their own little jobs and lives. "I did hear it..." He muttered with a slight huff and let his own engine turn over. He needed fuel then he needed to get to work himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sheriff it's the fifth night in a row! If it's hooligans I want it stopped!"

Sheriff sighed heavily and nodded a bit as he stared at Flo once again across the rarely used desk in his even more rarely used office. It had been years since he had, had an actual complaint that required the use of the station. Even with all the cars now coming and going from their little town since Lightning had settled down in the area, there wasn't any real use for the place. The tourists kept to themselves and things could normally be settled quickly and quietly. The impound saw its share of people... Mostly speeders... But nothing more than a little fine and maybe a little lecture from Doc wouldn't cure.

This however... This was serious. Someone was stealing fuel from Flo's Cafe. The first night it had happened Flo had been convinced she had just miscounted for something. After all she did that herself frequently. When someone was having a difficult month with finances she often 'forgot' to add it up on their tab. However to keep track of fuel she normally did write it down for her own notes. However sometimes she simply forgot. When the amount of fuel didn't add up with the day be-fore's notes she wrote it off.

The Second night she had been concerned though still thought it was her own mistake. She kept a careful tab on it. Made sure to take note of everything. To add things up before she left at night as well as soon as she came in, in the morning. She had discovered something then. It was happening at night, when the place was closed.

The third day she was sure there was no mistake. She mentioned to Sheriff that she thought there may be a problem. Possibly a leak... That day Red had checked over everything with a fine toothed comb. There was no leak. After all, everything was new at this point! It shouldn't have been leaking! It had only been in the ground a few weeks! Everything was as fine as it should have been.

The fourth day she had truly been concerned. Again she had mentioned it to Sheriff at breakfast. Thus Sheriff began looking into it.

Now the fifth day and it was officially a police matter. Flo was a kind fuel pumped car and he hated to see someone taking advantage of her. He knew she lost enough money on the place for all the times she had helped out the locals. She had been very lucky that her insurance company had picked up the cost to rebuild. She could have very well taken it and retired. However, she hadn't wanted to leave the town without a cafe. As it was the insurance hadn't been enough to get started on the project. However, a substantial donation from an unknown source had tipped the scales so that she had been able to continue. A donation everyone claimed to know nothing about. Though everyone looked rather smug about it. They had all put in what little they could through the damages of their own businesses and homes. However it had been Lightning that had pulled it all out of the frier. However, still now that someone was actually stealing from her she was losing money tread over tire.

"I know Flo. I know... I'll tell you what. Me and Seth will set up a stakeout at the cafe tonight. We can be fairly certain it's happening at night. Tonight me and Seth will keep watch of things." Sheriff assured her calmly.

"Oh Sheriff I hate to ask you to do this." Flo mused, a flinch crossing her features. "Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it is just something I'm missing."

"Flo don't be silly. You've checked the numbers over. I've sat here with you and checked the numbers over. If someone is stealing fuel from the tanks at night I want to know about it. I really don't think it would be any of the locals. That's what worries me. If there is someone new in this town I want to know. Aside from that something is up. I found some very strange tracks in the desert yesterday. Very thin tires with circular like tracks between them. Something is up." Sheriff insisted, gaining a slight nod from Flo.

"Thank you Sheriff" She said, with a genuine smile.

"It's what I'm here for Flo. Now why don't you go get back to your normal routine. The last thing you wanna do is let whoever it is know you're on to 'um." Sheriff reminded her.

Flo chuckled and nodded, quietly rolling out of the office, almost bumping into Seth on the way. She offered a quick apology to the young Mustang, before she would hurry her way back across the street.

"Dad what was all that about?" Seth questioned, poking his grill into Sheriff's office.

Sheriff repressed the wish to stare at the car for a moment and shook his grill. He had confused Seth so badly the first few weeks of his new life. Every time he had heard the word Dad or Seth's equally favorite use of the word Pop, he had been taken entirely off guard. For the first few days Seth had obviously understood the to him odd behavior. In the middle of the final fight Flo's Cafe had been virtually destroyed. Even now it wasn't even halfway finished. The explosion had sent Sheriff flying down the street. The obvious trauma had been enough to cause Sheriff to be a little... Lost for a few days afterwords. However, the confusion had quickly faded back, as had getting use to hearing himself called Dad. Seth now seemed to have thrown off Sheriff's odd behavior the first few weeks to physically thrown down the street.

"Someone's still stealing gas from the cafe's tanks. You and I are going to have a little stakeout tonight."

Seth blinked for a moment, seeming to take that in. "Really? Cops?" He questioned, gaining a soft chuckle from Sheriff.

"Not, not like on Cops. That show is more drama than you will ever find on the force. You shouldn't watch that nonsense. But we are going to be on a stakeout tonight so for God's sake get some sleep." He advised, quietly shifting into gear and heading out of the office. Seth stared after him for a moment, and Sheriff couldn't suppress a chuckle as he left the station. A clear 'woop!' filled the air as he pulled away. He knew Seth would be excited over that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Don't lose it on the outside Lightning! Keep going al the way through. Don't let your rear drift to much or you'll be in the wall!"

Lightning instantly shifted his stance as Doc called out directions, correcting his path along the more tricky curve of the dirt track they practiced on. The exercise differed from day to day. Some days it would be as it was now. Doc would park up on the ridge and watch Lightning race, calling out corrections and comments about how he was doing. Some days Doc would come down onto the track with him. Race him a few laps then stop and give him little tips and instructions. Others Doc wasn't there at all and he was handed over to Sarge's tender mercies... That normally happened when Lightning was slacking... He didn't do that often anymore...

"Good! Go one more lap then pull up here!"

Lightning nodded briefly and surged forward. He always put more speed on the last lap. As Doc once explained it was the most important lap of the race. After all Lightning could go the entire race trailing behind the other cars. So long as he crossed the finish line first he won. The same went the other way around. He could go the entire race ahead of the pack. However, if someone passed him in that last lap and crossed the finish line before him it was over. That last lap was important. Therefore it required more speed even if Lightning was way ahead.

After he had passed that tricky final turn for the last time he quickly hit the breaks, spinning in a somewhat controlled fish tail as he slid up beside Doc. Doc closed his eyes and gave a soft cough as dust flew up around him, though by now he had learned to ignore Lightning's little antics.

"Good. You're doing fine. We're a little late in the season but I think you can catch up."

"Is this the kind of talk that includes the information of a race..." Lightning coaxed, drawing a brief smirk from Doc as he rolled his eyes a bit.

"This is the kind of talk that says there is a race and we'll see how your next few practice rounds go before we confirm our presence in the race." Doc corrected, a soft chuckle released as he kicked himself into gear and rolled off towards town. Lightning didn't hesitate to do the same, rolling slowly beside Doc.

"So, I'm not sayin' anything about it." Lightning promised, though he bounced excitedly on his shocks. Bugging Doc about races only annoyed the old car and he knew it. As his crew chief and coach he had come to realize... The old car did know best. Doc picked carefully which races Lightning would be going into. The first year Doc was his coach it annoyed him just a bit. Until the end of the season... Only then did he realize just how horribly he had stressed himself that first season. Needing so badly to be in the Piston Cup. He had actually lost races because of stress and being over worked which had in fact lowered his points to be even with The King and Chick Hicks. If he had Doc's plan in the first season it probably would have been no contest in that final race. He hated to admit it but Doc did know best.

The old car was careful to give Lightning a rest between races, and focused only on the races that would benefit Lightning the most. He had finally seen that towards the end of the last season. In the Piston Cup he had been so ahead on points he could have come in last place and still won the thing. However not finishing the race at all had bumped him so far down in points that the RPM car had come out on top. Not that Lightning minded. The car was a talented racer and deserved it. Besides that Lightning had been more concerned with other things. Like not dying.

This year he was going to have to work harder. It was down to the wire. He had already missed so many good racing opportunities. As Doc pointed out the Piston Cup was just an empty cup. It wasn't worth tearing Lightning apart to get. He had been to one small race as a warm up a few weeks before. It had been simple and easy. The greeting had been a loud one and Lightning had loved every moment of it. Now he felt he was ready for a race that would really count. If he kept going like he was, he felt Doc would agree with the entry.

"You stiff anywhere? Any pain?" Doc suddenly questioned, gaining a smile from Lightning. "My side's a little stiff but it doesn't hurt."

"Good, good. Why don't you and Sally go take a drive up to Wheel Well and make sure every thing's in order up there. The quiet drive will do you some good and work that stiffness out of you." Doc advised, bringing a ready nod from Lightning as he surged forward ahead of him to round up Sally.

Doc only chuckled, his attention turning away from town for the moment out across the desert. It was quiet out today. A rabbit streaked across the plane, bookin' it for his den. He hadn't seen one of those in a long time. It was getting more and more rare to see those biological critters.

He shrugged a bit and turned his path off across the desert land scape, humming softly to himself. Across the horizon something streaked by catching his attention rather abruptly. Something black and low to the ground, a billow of dust flying up from beneath its tires. Doc smirked to himself and threw himself into gear, leaping forward to surge ahead. The thing on the horizon turned abruptly heading his way following the makeshift dirt road between town and Sarge's Obstacle course on the outside of town. Doc slammed on the breaks throwing himself cross ways across the road. Spotting the block the black thing slammed on his own breaks, the high powered Mustang sliding to a stop a few inches from Doc.

"Doc!" Seth blurted out, eyes widening at just how close he had come to running into the older car. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"Do you have any idea how dangerous what you're doing is?" Doc countered, pulling a sheepish little look from Seth.

"I thought so. Your father would be fit to be tied if he caught you speeding along these roads." Not that Doc was really surprised. The model of the Mustang was an old one but his body was young and so was his attitude. The ex angel of death only remembered being as young as he was now. True the timelines didn't add up... He should have been older if the memories rang true. Though Doc shrugged it of with the reminder that muscle cars like Seth tended to age a bit slower. He imagined the car did have energy to burn.

"Don't worry Seth I'm not going to tell the Sheriff. Though if you're going to do that kind of thing take it further out into the desert or out onto Lightning's track. I know there's not much traffic out here but there is enough. You never know when you're going to run up on someone as you've done to me." Doc pointed out, quietly rolling off, taking a direction away from town. He didn't really expect Seth to follow but after a moment the Mustang pulled up along side him keeping pace.

"Hey Doc, what Mater was saying about the Howlers this morning... Was that true?"

"Of course not Seth. It's an Urban legend. Like the ghost light or the Screamin' Banshee. It's nothing but a ghost story that campers tell. Mater just happens to believe them." Doc explained, gaining a slight nod from Seth.

"But... I heard them myself. Something out in the desert howling. It's been happening the past few nights now that I've been on night patrols with Dad."

Doc let a frown cross his grill for a moment thinking on that. "Which has been how long Flo's been missing fuel... Which reminds me. I hear you have your first stakeout tonight."

A grin crossed Seth's grill as he bounced on his shocks. "Sure do."

"You to be careful out there." Doc commented with a soft chuckle. "And keep your father out of trouble."

Seth only grinned as he surged off with a nod. "Will do Doc. See ya later!"

Doc laughed softly as he watched the black bundle of energy take off at high speeds across the desert. Seth wasn't a racer. But he still had some speed.

The old car gave a slight shake of his grill as he turned around to head back towards town. He paused in mid stride a sound catching his attention. From where the woods met the desert following the river down through the valley... A howl followed by two quick barks rose up above the sound of the river. He blinked quietly moving in that direction but everything had gone silent. The howlers?

He shook his grill a bit and took a glance down. Through the soft dirt there were the strangest tracks he had ever seen. Very thin tire tracks. Tracks that went in a strange half circle between them. There were more of those half circle tracks... And quite a few tracks like those he had never seen... Maybe Mater was right...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Now if you boys need anything you be sure to come get me."

Sheriff chuckled softly as he nodded. Flo did have her mother hen ways about her. She had always been that way. Since he could remember. She and her husband had more or taken him in when he had first come to this town. Now he had the memories of them taking in Seth as well. Poor new deputy with a young son tagging along at his side. Now had to raise him alone. Neither of them talked to much about the young deputy's wife...

That had pulled at the two to make sure they settled in at the police station. However fond those memories were Sheriff knew them damn well to be false. Strong were the memories of coming into town alone. Years later running into the Angel of Death. Seth... The meeting had been bitter as Lightning's life had been the one in the toss up. Lightning had survived... Just barely but he had survived. Seth had been severally reprimanded for taking things into his own tires as he had done.

Then came the demon... Seth had been the one to return and attempt to deal with that. From there Sheriff was actually a little fuzzy on the exact events along with the rest of the town. He supposed he had learned to much... Even for a medium. He knew all the answers had been written down. In hundreds of journals... Now hidden safely beneath the station. Seth's journals...

Sheriff himself would never read them, though if ever Seth remembered enough to ask for them, he would be happy to give them back to the car.

Sherif remembered Flo's cafe exploding. He remembered Seth being dead... He had been brought to life for the first time in that time... Then he had died. Taken his own life to do the town some good. Those in the afterlife had decided to give Seth back his life and put him in the care of Sheriff in form of a son.

It had been difficult to get use to at first but now... He couldn't help it. He was fond of the boy. He was also very proud of him.

"Thank you Flo but I don't think we'll need anything. I think Seth brought enough supplies to last us a month."

Seth quirked an eye at the Sheriff, a smirk given around the Gask-it cookie sticking out of his mouth. "Hey you said bring supplies."

"Seth don't talk with your mouth full." Sheriff scolded, a soft chuckle given as he Mustang quickly swallowed what was in his mouth.

"Sorry..."

Flo laughed and nodded as she backed out of the cafe, preparing to go her own way for the night. It was close to midnight before everyone had pulled away for the night. They hadn't wanted to hurry folks away from the place. Let it seem that things were going on as it should. Sheriff really didn't think it was anyone in town.

However whoever it was could have very easily been watching. Doc had finally chosen a real race for Lightning who was absolutely beside himself with excitement. Come the weekend most of the town would be at the track. They had hung around the cafe laughing and chattering on until near midnight. Now Seth and Sheriff were safely hidden in the construction that was the cafe, unseen from the road, hiding in what would be the cafe's office.

"I'll bring you boys some breakfast around three or so. That should perk y'all up for the rest of the mornin'."

"Thank you Flo. That would be great." Sheriff offered, a smile crossing his grill as Flo backed out and headed home for the night.

"So Dad, what do we do for a stakeout?" Seth whispered softly, causing a smile to cross Sheriff's grill.

"Well you just keep very quiet and watch. Speak very softly if you do and make sure no one comes near the cafe." Sheriff explained with a nod.

"Oh you mean like guard duty?"

"Sort of but not exactly. You see a guard would stand right out front so no one would try to come near the cafe. We're hiding because we want whoever is stealing fuel from Flo to try it again so we can catch them in the act. Understand?"

Seth thought for a moment then gave a quick nod to that. "I got it."

Sheriff chuckled softly and gave a slight nod. "Good. Now watch the tanks."

"Hey Dad who do you think it is?"

"I'm not sure Seth. No one from this town I don't think. I took a look around the other day. Found some of the strangest tracks I've ever seen."

"Ya know Dad I got to thinking... What if... Someone's using the howler legend? We started hearing those howls around the time this started happening... What if it's someone making those noises so no one will come looking outside when their doing what their doing at night."

"Seth I told you not to watch those cartoons... That talkin' scooter will rot your brain right out from under your hood."

"I haven't been watching any more Scooby Doo. I'm just sayin'... Maybe it's tied in."

Sheriff sighed heavily and nodded. "Alright I'll give you that. It could be and it would make sense."

Seth smirked a bit and nodded. Sometimes that Mustang gave a look that almost seemed like Death. Other times he was his innocent new self... It was rather disturbing.

"Dad do you remember how this happened?"

Seth suddenly questioned, glancing around the cafe. "I don't... Not much of it anyway."

"Well no not really. I was knocked out cold remember?"

"But I wasn't." Seth pointed out slowly. "Yet I don't remember it. It's a little strange if you ask me."

Sheriff turned his gaze curiously to Seth, a frown crossing his grill. He never knew how much to tell Seth. What he knew... What he didn't... The afterlife had put Sheriff in a very strange place.

"Seth... Do you remember your mother?"

Seth blinked at that and cast Sheriff a sideways glance. "Sort of. She seems a little like a dream. Like it didn't really happen or it wasn't really my life. A lot of my life feels that way... Like I'm watching the life of someone else and just happen to be tagging along for the ride."

Sheriff blinked and nodded slowly. It made perfect sense to him... Absolutely perfect sense. Though that was something he could never explain to Seth. Could never say to set his 'son's' mind at ease. "I'm sure it will get better in time. The explosion was a difficult thing on all of us..."

Seth nodded quietly, a heavy sigh given. "I had a dream..." He muttered after a moment.

That caught Sheriff's attention as the Mustang frowned deeply. "Doc was sick. You had gone out of town to go with him to the hospital in the next town over. I was alone here... Chick was here... And there was something I was suppose to be afraid of. Like a demon or something. I kept calling it the demon. There were two others two. I knew them for some reason." Seth mused, a slight shrug given.

"In my dream I went into Doc's office... While he was at the hospital I mean... I found his medicine cabinet... I took enough sedative to knock out a semi... I didn't want to... It was like I had to be dead, but I didn't want to be. I wanted to live. I was dead... For that time I was dead... But I was still here. In my dream you came back and asked me what I had done. Everyone was so upset and you kept asking me what I had done. And I kept saying that I was dead. To deal with it so we could get rid of the demon. Which I'm not sure how I could have done if I were dead..." Seth mused and sighed, a slight shake of his grill given. "Does... That mean I'm crazy?"

Sheriff blinked slightly as he stared at Seth for a few long moments. He had never known the exact details. However that tied in perfectly with all that had happened. With everything that had taken place that night. Seth's desperation to help... He had thought Seth hated being alive that much. He had never known that at that point Seth had wanted to live.

"No Seth... It sounds like a very interesting dream. Maybe you should cut back on the fuel before bed." Sheriff explained, pulling a slow nod from Seth.

"Sometimes I hear things." Seth admitted softly, gaining another look from Sheriff.

"Like... Voices? Like someone's playing a radio in another room?" Sheriff questioned softly, gaining a nod from Seth.

"Exactly..."

Sheriff smiled a bit, the feeling of pride welling up far beyond his understanding. Seth wasn't actually his son... It made little sense that he was this proud that the car that wasn't truly his son seemed to be turning out to be a medium.

"It's nothing to worry about Seth. Before you go to bed tell them you don't want to speak to them while you sleep. Your mind will be open to them later." Sheriff advised.

"What are they?" Seth questioned slowly, eyes widening a bit.

"You have the gift. It's not something to be afraid of Seth. I have it."

Seth balked just a bit and sighed. "No offense Dad... But I don't wanna be the one whispering 'I see dead people' in a nut house. I mean you've always talked to them... But I don't think I want to."

Sheriff blinked a bit and glanced in Seth's direction. Seth remembered the fact that he was a medium? No one in the town had known. Yet somehow it was common knowledge with his son. Somehow... It felt good.

"We'll discuss it later Seth. Just don't worry on it alright? I promise you, you're not crazy."

To that Seth would only smile softly and nod. Hearing that from his father, somehow made him feel just a bit better. Through the simple act of hearing it from the so entirely down to earth Sheriff.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The excitement that Seth felt would be quick to fade unfortunately. Stakeouts he decided... Were very dull business. Minutes stretched out into hours. Absolutely nothing happened with the tanks and there was very little communication between Seth and Sheriff.

It seemed like years had gone by before Flo brought them each a can of oil and some fuel. Seth was happy to see her just for the fact of seeing some kind of life. Stakeouts were dull... It was near four in the morning when Seth groaned softly and thumped to the ground, catching the attention of Sheriff.

"You alright Seth?"

"Is it possible to die of boredom?"

"No, I don't think so. You loose your mind a long while before you can actually die. Then you have imaginary friends to entertain yourself with."

Seth quirked an eye and looked up at the normally so serious Sheriff with an intelligent sounding 'eh?'

Sheriff only chuckled softly, his attention never wavering from the fuel tanks.

"Dad what do you think-"

Seth was cut off abruptly by Sheriff who had gone just a little tense as he looked out at the tanks. Seth's gaze instantly followed the Sheriff's, out to the far tanks near the road. Something was moving around out there.

Seth blinked and silently rolled forward a few inches. All he could see was a shadowy outline of a figure. However, it was no vehicle. It moved on fours like a vehicle... But its tires were extended into long stick like appendages. Another stick like appendage stuck out from behind it, a rounded head with a pointed snout sticking out on the front. Twin triangular appendages stuck ontop of its head in what Seth thought he remembered as ears... He had seen something like that before... He couldn't remember where but he had...

"Looks like a fox... Their not in this part of the world... Those things are suppose to be very endangered." Sheriff mused.

That was where he had seen it before. Discovery Channel... But no... It was different. And he felt it had been somewhere else. "It looks to big to be a fox. The red fox I saw on T.V. was small like a Jack Rabbit... That thing looks like it would come all the way up to my hood." Seth mused, his voice then turning soft, almost that of a nervous squeak. "Maybe it's a howler..."

"Don't be silly... I wonder if this thing is what's been taking the fuel."

"I don't know Dad... What would a bio thing want with fuel? It can't drink it..."

"Shh" Sheriff suddenly muttered, more movement coming from the road as another shadowy figure came forth. This one moved on two's, though still had the same extended stick like appendages. A rounded head but no triangular ears and no pointed snout. The one on fours let out a bark like sound, though it was quickly shushed by the other.

"See? I told ya." Seth whispered, but Sheriff silently put a tire on his grill to shut him up.

The first figure on twos was joined by a second, this one carrying a large container and dragging something behind it on the ground.

"Did you have to bring that dog?" The two vehicles fell deathly silent as the second spoke the first. The first wheeled around on him... Yes the second had a male voice. Decidedly so... When the first spoke it was with a soft female voice. "He was a huge help last time. You leave Ranger alone."

"I'm not saying that he wasn't a help I'm saying that someone's gonna hear him."

The first ignored her partner as she knelt down on the ground and set the container in place. She then fiddled with the tanks for a moment, attaching something to it and starting a soft hum from whatever was on the thing they had been dragging. She sighed and began pumping a lever on the machine, the scent of fuel touching the air as she began the process of filling the container.

"We've got our suspects Seth. Lets go." Sheriff muttered abruptly kicking into gear and surging out of hiding. Seth was right behind him, following like a shot. As their headlights hit the two they snapped their heads up, eyes widening as the dropped what they were doing and bolted. Fuel spilled across the pavement but Seth and Sheriff managed to swerve around it, the pump disconnecting and shutting down as Seth accidently clipped it. The dog leapt forward with a snarl, it's teeth sinking into Seth's right tire, which sent the car into a frenzy of attempting to get the critter off who was at the moment hanging on tight. Sheriff kept after the two still running. The male bolted out of there as fast as he could.

The female was right behind him. Sheriff was gaining on them as they cut around narrow passages to the edge of town. Two more four legged critters stood waiting at the edge of town. One wearing an odd leather contraption on its back. The other pulling a large flat wagon behind it. The male jumped onto the lone four legged critter and healed it on. It surged off across the desert like a shot. The female jumped onto the wagon of the second and likewise urged it on. With the speed it had gone the empty containers flew off the wagon as they went. Seth's indignant sounding voice rose up as he came up behind Sheriff, the dog he had been chasing taking off like a shot after the others. Sheriff was slowed up a bit as he was forced to move around the containers but in moments he was gaining on them again. On the flat without the twists and turns these things were not very fast. He was barely pushing thirty five and he had a feeling those four legged critters were pulling their load as fast as they could.

Sheriff nodded at Seth and the Mustang pulled up abruptly beside the edge of the wagon. The female gave him a look of panic but it was only doubled as Sheriff pulled up on the other side. They both clipped in, the wheels of the wagon cracking then breaking easily beneath their duel weight. The female's features shifted to that of horror as the wagon's bottom hit the ground and pitched her forward then back. The four legged critter gave a snort and surged on. The female attempted to call out to calm the animal but it was no use. Not in this case. The critter turned abruptly, snapping the shafts that held the wagon to it. The reins slipped through the female's fingers and loose as the rest of the rigging snapped free. Without its burden it moved faster, surging onward into the night after the other. The wagon flipped towards Seth. Seth quickly moved out of the way as the wooden thing turned over, throwing its driver several feet away and landing in a heap on the ground, laying very still, forcing Seth to swerve to avoid running her over. Both of the large four legged critters kept going on into the night, leaving their fallen friend behind. The dog however, spun around and came at the two vehicles, snarling and snapping as it stood over the fallen female.

"Seth deal with that thing would ya?" Sheriff ordered, gaining a pained look from Seth as he limped forward, one tire already punctured with a slow leak because of that thing. He growled right back at the dog, which only sent it into a furious barking. It leapt over the fallen female, proceeding to chase after Seth. Who let out a yelp, trying to save his other tires and took off to get away from it.

Sheriff ignored the shenanigans of the two, headlights turning to the female. It looked... His eyes widened just a bit as he stared at it. It had pale almost pink features. Those long appendages broke off into five shorter ones. If he recalled correctly those were arms, hands and fingers. Was this thing human?

It stirred from where it lay, blood caking across her face. She blinked up at Sheriff, a soft whimper of panic given before she collapsed once more. Sheriff sighed heavily and dipped his grill down low, brushing against the ground as he dug forward forcing the female's body up onto the edge of his hood. He then flipped her upward so that she landed across his hood, the patrol car then backing out carefully. "Seth stop playing with the howler and come on." He called, causing the Mustang to instantly bolt towards town. Sheriff followed behind, the female's body sprawled lifelessly across his hood oblivious to the eyes watching him carefully from the safety of the woods...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Cars belong to Pixar of course. And Disney. Two great companies! Seth, Joe, Ranger, David, and Blaire are mine. (Yay I get to put Blaire in somewhere!) If you want to use them, just ask.

Notes: If this chapter sounds a bit strange it's because I'm just getting into the introductions. Things should kick up in the next chapter. I'm also afraid it's coming out as incredibly light. Mostly because at the beginning of this I was tired of such dark stories. However, I'm afraid it's not coming out as serious enough. I mean it doesn't matter that it's Cars. You start talking genocide of a race it's serious stuff. So any opinions? Comments? I want to know because I don't. Do I need to start trying to make it a little darker and more serious? Or keep it flowing along the way it is? (Though mind you either way it is going to get a little darker later on.) I'm a little worried about how it's flowing. So opinions please! Y'all Rock on!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Howler!"

Sheriff sighed heavily and rolled his eyes as Mater shot forward and skidded around the pavement in front of the impound lot. "It's a howler! I told you they was real!"

"Mater calm down it's not a howler. Obviously it's a..." Lightning balked, the name escaping him as he thought that over. "Dang it what was that thing called... I saw it once on the Discovery Channel..."

"I think you're thinking of a fox. I thought that was what it was to but it's to big." Seth explained with an idle shrug.

Dawning realization crossed Lightning's features as he nodded. "That's what I was thinking of! A fox. Though you're right... It's way to big..."

"It's a howler!" Mater insisted, though Sheriff only gave a soft grunt. "There's no such thing Mater. Now leave the thing alone all of you."

They all backed up from the fence, the dog that was currently locked behind it barking franticly as it leapt back and forth, every now and again leaping at the chain link. It was holding the thing back remarkably well. Seth had managed to lure the thing in there the night before by bolting in and slipping out and closing the gate quickly behind him. The dog now growled, his attention narrowed on his 'rival' Seth.

"It's a bio. That's all we need to know." They backed off as Doc came through the group, pushing in front of him half of an old container which had been filled with water. "Open the gate."

Seth sighted and cracked the gate open so Doc could push the container in. The dog growled at them but instantly started lapping quickly at the water.

"Bio things need water to live. It's their way of life." He stated simply, a light sigh released.

"Them bio things... Do they always look like that?" Mater asked gaining a slight shake of Doc's grill. "No... The one in my clinic looks very different. It's also very fragile. From it's little tumble last night one of it's appendages is injured. I'm fairly certain of it."

"So what do we do?" Sheriff asked slowly. "Call a vet or somethin'?"

"Don't be silly nobody works on them bio things anymore..." Sarge scolded, gaining a sour look from Sheriff.

"They do to. They gots bios at the zoo." Mater insisted with a smug looking smirk. "Lightning took me to see a zoo last year when we was in California for that big race."

Doc chuckled softly a nod given to the memory. "I remember that... Kept you both out of my way for a while..."

"Oh very funny Doc" Lightning commented a slight shake of his grill given. "So anyway, what do we do with it? Take it to the zoo? These things might have escaped from one."

"I don't know about that kid." Sheriff commented, a slight huff released. "The female was talkin' to another one like it... The male escaped into the desert. No tellin' where it went off to... They were usin' more bio critters to get around. One was attached to the wagon that we flipped. I've seen um before but it's been years and I can't rightly remember what their called."

"Horses" Seth replied with a somewhat smug looking smirk. "I looked it up after we saw them. They run wild in some of the western states like Nevada and California and Utah. I've never seen them around here though..."

"That's great Seth but what about that thing? Your research pull up anything that matches that?" Lightning questioned, referring to the dog that was once again leaping at the chain link of the fence. "I mean we can't keep calling it the howler..."

"I heard them call it a Dog..." Seth mused with a slight shrug. "And they also called it Ranger."

The dog instantly perked his ears up at the sound of his name, another bark given. He then went back to sniffing around the impound yard, sniffing at the ground and scratching at it every now and again with a paw.

"So what are we going to do with-"

Sheriff was abruptly cut off as a loud bang sounded through the streets, coming from the general direction of Doc's clinic. Doc sighed heavily and rolled his eyes, not sounded at all surprised as another loud bang sounded, the sound rather repetitive.

"Sheriff with me. The rest of you stay outside and keep an eye on the..." He paused searching for the word, forming it in his mouth as if it tasted a little funny. "Howler..."

The group nodded as Sheriff fell into step behind Doc, rolling quietly along behind him as they headed for his clinic. Only once they were up on the massive double doors did the sounds of the human screaming touch the air. Enraged sounds of fury came from within', sounding as if the human had, had quite enough of this little vacation.

"Let me out of here you damn, dirty cars! We made you! This is cruel and unusual punishment!"

"Think she ever shuts up?" Sheriff questioned, drawing a soft chuckle from Doc.

"Alright... It's locked in my garage, so if we go in through the clinic we can open the double doors. Therefore if it gets loose on us it's still contained." Doc suggested, gaining a nod from Sheriff.

Sheriff nodded his agreement as they slipped in through the clinic doors. Doc carefully locked the doors behind them, his attention then turning to the muffled yells and bangs coming from the far door that led to his garage/office.

"You wanna go in first?" Sheriff questioned slowly, gaining a soft grunt form Doc.

"Not in particularly."

"You put her in there..."

"You're the law in these parts Sheriff."

"You're the judge, the mayor, and the Doc, Doc"

Doc rolled his eyes and backed up a bit, stubbornly shifting into park. "Just open the damn doors Sheriff..."

Sheriff sighed, somewhat dramatically as he made his way across the clinic, pulling a soft chuckle from Doc. The old patrol car slowly approached the double doors and listened. It had gone quiet. More than likely the human had been able to hear them arguing about who was going to open the door.

Within' a moment of listening he heard a loud bang against the double doors. He waited for silence again before he would abruptly pull forward, throwing the doors open. To the human who had been intent on hitting the doors again. Her eyes widened as she fell forward in a heap on the floor, a dull thud sounding as she landed against the concrete. She wheezed heavily and coughed as she sat up, struggling to pull a breath into her lungs to recover from the air that had suddenly rushed out upon impact.

The two vehicles watched her somewhat helplessly as she slowly pulled herself upright again, cradling her injured arm as she looked up at them with a somewhat sour look.

"Now miss you need to calm down. That will not help you any." Doc's smooth voice would only pull a deeper frown from the female.

"Do you have a name?" This time it was Sheriff that spoke. The female shot her gaze in his direction, expression turning just a bit fearful as the full weight of the situation she was in pushed in on her. She was on her own. Two vehicles had her cornered. They were faster than she was. They were much stronger than she was. To some degree they were possibly even smarter than she was. She was young... They were both obviously highly respected officials. From what she can tell she was in a mechanic's shop... Or she supposed a doctor's office. It was strange that she couldn't tell.

"Well we know you can speak." Sheriff commented flatly, pulling a slight nod from Doc.

Doc frowned deeply and glanced one of the frosted glass windows of the clinic. He couldn't see anything through it, but natural light coming in from outside. "That... Creature... What is it?" Doc questioned softly.

The female instantly jumped to her feet, her good hand clenching at her side. "What have you done with Ranger? Where's my dog you mechanical box from hell? And my horse!"

"Calm down. The dog is fine. He's currently enclosed in the impound yard and entirely unharmed. As for horse, if it's that creature Sheriff reported was pulling the wagon we don't have it. Sheriff says it kept running when the wagon detatched." Doc assured, gaining the briefest of nods from the female as she sat down.

"Now... We know the name of your... Dog... What is your name? Or don't you have one?" Doc mused slowly.

"I have one." She snapped flatly and let out a heavy sigh. "My name is Joesette."

"Joesette?" Sheriff questioned slowly, pulling a soft sigh from Joesette.

"Call me Joe"

"Joe then... Joe do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?" Sheriff pointed out sternly.

"Oh I can take a few guesses..." Joe mused slowly.

"Oh drop it. Flo is a kind fuel pumped vehicle. It took me days to even consider who could possibly be wanting to take advantage of her or her business when she helps all of us the way she does and with her going through such hard times herself." Sheriff lectured, pulling another sigh from Joe as she flopped down on the floor, her head propped up in one hand.

"Oh now come now officer. Is this really about the fuel?"

"Well what do you think it's about?" Doc pointed out flatly.

"Young lady I will not have you coming into our town and-"

"Well where else are we supposed to go?" She abruptly demanded as she got to her feet. "You can sit there and lecture all you want but I don't see you having to coming out in the middle of the night and scrounge for food like an animal and steal fuel from a race that frankly wouldn't even exist without the help of our race."

"Young lady that's enough. Now this isn't about what you are or who you are or what you have to do to survive. This is about the fact that you stole fuel from the town cafe." Doc snapped flatly. "Now around these parts that's good for at least a few weeks in lock down."

"Oh?" Joe questioned, arms crossing in front of her. "You've contradicted yourself. You said it's not about what we have to do to survive. However, stealing fuel was survival. We can't scrounge that out of nature. And I can almost promise that if I had come up here in broad daylight and asked for the fuel you would have had every military helicopter in the area buzzing overhead to take down the scary two legged creature."

"Do you see any helicopters out there now?" Doc pointed out simply.

"It's not the same. I wasn't even awake when Deputy Dog here brought me in, therefore I wasn't so scary."

"Hey!" Sheriff protested, a slight blink given. He had no idea of the reference but he was pretty certain he had just been insulted.

"Now young lady. We haven't insulted you, no need to insult us. You can call me Doc. This is Sheriff." Doc stated with a nod, drawing a slow nod from Joe.

"Oh how original..."

"That's enough. Now it seems to me you've done a bit of contradicting yourself. You claim that stealing fuel from Flo was a matter of survival. However, I know for a fact that bios do not take fuel." Doc pointed out, looking just a bit smug.

Joe rolled her eyes and sighed. "We needed it for the generators. We need power to keep our colony going. To keep the fans going to circulate air down through where we live. We also need the electricity to cook and run other equipment that makes keeping ourselves isolated possible. Not that you would understand that. I mean you don't have to hide from our kind the way we have to hide from you."

"Joe you can not fall back to that since you did not give us the chance to accept you in the first place. Do not turn your own crime around on us." Doc snapped, gaining a frown from Joe.

"You remind me of Grandpa." Joe abruptly blurted, gaining a frown from Doc. So use to being called Grandpa by Lightning those few early days he was around, the vehicle bristled.

"Now young lady what did I tell you about-"

"I didn't mean to insult you." Joe commented, cutting him off. "I mean you remind me of my Grandfather. He always played these mind games with me and it didn't matter what kind of explanation or excuse I tried to give him he could always point out all the flaws in my reasoning."

Doc instantly deflated just a bit, a soft chuckle released. "You mean he didn't take any excuses."

"Well no... He didn't. But the point I was trying to make is that I'm not making excuses. I did what I did because my people needed it. I would do it again..."

"Alright... Getting off of that point... You've obviously been up there a while, why is now the first time that fuel has come up missing?" Sheriff questioned, trying to get back to the point at hand.

"Well we haven't needed it before in such a large amount. Up until a few months ago we had a power supply tapping in from the power lines that gave us what we needed. Then in the middle of the night one night... It just stopped. So we had to fall on the backup generators. We had a lot of fuel stored up. We were hoping to fix the problem before we ran out of that fuel. However, we haven't been able to do it. It was easy enough to get the fuel since there's only two officers in town... However, with two of them patrolling even that's not easy. We've almost been caught so many times... And it's way to risky to try and reconnect the power lines..."

"Reconnect? You mean you've been draining power from the town?" Doc asked flatly, causing Joe to flinch.

"We don't need much! It's not like we have all the lights on down there. We just needed enough to get by. It's always worked for us and it's never hurt anyone... But then after the lines were severed we had to start using the fuel... We couldn't get enough as fast as we were using it. Then a few weeks ago we ran out... We had to come up here and get some from the cafe just to keep going."

"Hold on... A few weeks ago?" Sheriff questioned. "Flo's only been missing fuel for five days."

"We started tapping fuel as soon as we saw the new tanks go into the ground. The car that owns the cafe wouldn't have noticed..."

"She does keep track of that. How do you think we know you've been doing it now?" Sheriff pointed out.

"No I mean... Up until five days ago we've been able to pay for the fuel we've been taking. We've broken into her office and left funding and changed the records to make her think she sold it to someone. But then we ran out of funding to... We thought if we could just keep it going a little while longer we could hook up the power lines again or at least figure out how my Grandfather did it... But we just couldn't do it."

"How was it attached in the first place?" Doc questioned slowly, gaining a somewhat sheepish look from Joe.

"Back in the sixties I think... My grandfather... There was a..." She paused for a moment, eyes closing as she tried to think. "Sheriff McDuffy in office then. He knew about us. Helped my Grandfather hide us all... I think he was friends with my Grandfather. Anyway one night while everyone was asleep he showed my grandfather how to hook up the lines so that we could tap electricity into our colony..."

"Sounds like something the old Sheriff would have done... He had a bit of a soft spot in him." Doc muttered softly, pulling a slow nod form Sheriff.

The old Sheriff despite his tough ways had, had a soft and almost fatherly like personality about him. After all he had taken in Sheriff... Seth tagging along and all. Seth...

"The lines must have been severed the night Seth and Damien took down the power grid." Sheriff abruptly blurted. Doc nodded slowly to that. It made sense...

"The time line is about right..." Doc mused softly.

"We found a dead line that we couldn't identify when the power company came out to reset the relays. We figured it was to one of the businesses that closed."

"That was our line!" Joe blurted happily, a smile crossing her face. "We couldn't even find the thing... It wasn't where it should have been."

"That's because we took it out."

She deflated a bit and flopped down on the floor once again, a soft sigh released.

"You said you had a few months worth of fuel... How did you get ahold of that?" Doc questioned slowly.

"We have a contact. But he can only do so much. He couldn't replace it fast enough without looking suspicious... He helps but it's just not enough."

"Who's your contact?" Sheriff questioned, though Joe only shook her head.

"I'm not answering that."

"Doc?" The voice was yelled from outside. Obviously Lightning's. "There's a really strange blue car pulling up..."

Doc's gaze slid to Joe who only shrugged. "I have no idea who that is... But whoever it is I'm going to kill him. Send him in here so I can kill him."

Doc rolled his eyes and sighed. "Back in the office young lady" He commented, though Joe instantly stood up in protest. "No! Please I'll be good just please don't lock me in there again!" She pleaded, a look of panic crossing her features again.

"Young lady you are still a suspect and I can not allow you to wander around town free." Doc reminded her, though Joe would nod to that.

"I'll stay in here then... Or with Ranger. Put me where Ranger is... Just please don't leave me in there."

Doc blinked for a moment but he nodded, silently judging Sheriff to get moving. "Very well. We will leave you in the clinic... I warn you though. No funny business."

Joe silently nodded and moved over to sit against the far wall, injured arm absently cradled in her lap. For a moment Sheriff actually felt a stab of sympathy for her. As the door closed on her, locking the young human in Sheriff could have sworn he heard soft crying welling up from inside. However, that wasn't the point at hand anymore.

In the middle of the street a silver colored vehicle sat parked. Low to the ground and built for speed it was obviously a Mustang... Much newer model than Seth though. If Sheriff had to guess he would say a Saleen Mustang Cobra... Dark gray eyes stared back at them, giving the vehicle a rather... Eery look. "Good morning officer." The vehicle greeted, his voice upholding a very light English accent.

"Morning... I take it that it's not just by chance that you show up in the middle of a crisis..." Sheriff mused softly to the stranger. The Mustang would offer a smirk, a quick nod given, speaking in a soft English accent. "It's not by chance at all... My name is Blaire. You have something in your possession that is very important to me. I would very much like it back."

"Son I assure you I have nothing that belongs to you." Sheriff commented flatly.

"Oh? Not even a couple favored pets?"

That brought a round of silence from the group as Doc's eyes narrowed just a bit. "Your pets?"

"Mhmm. Ranger silence." The dog who had been up until that point steadily barking instantly fell quiet. He sat back on his haunches, tail wagging back and forth happily, tongue lolling to one side of his open muzzle.

"And can you give us the name of the other 'pet?'" Doc questioned slowly, gaining a nod from the car. "Sure can. Joe. A little fire ball she is. I'm sorry if they've caused damages... You know how exotic pets can be..."

"Pets this exotic are illegal son." Sheriff commented flatly. "Keeping a bio is something best left for zoos. Aside from that we have conflicting stories. One of you is pulling my tire."

"Oh that's Joe for you... I taught it to speak years ago. She watches a bit to much t.v..."

"Right... Then you will be held accountable for the past weeks worth of fuel your little pet has stolen from the cafe?"

"A little harsh officer. However they are my pets and therefore my responsibility. I'm willing to pay for whatever damages they may have caused."

Sheriff narrowed his eyes a bit, gaze shifting from the Mustang back to the clinic and back again. "Alright son... Come with me." Sheriff stated flatly and turned back towards the clinic. They were going to settle this once and for all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Joe's attention snapped up as the doors to the clinic swung open once more. Light poured in and she shrank back against the far wall. Sheriff was first to enter. Followed closely by Doc. Right behind him...

"Blaire?"

She jumped to her feet, but a sharp look kept her firmly in place.

"So you two do know each other. Now I wanna know what's going on."

"Sheriff I told you what's happening." Blaire explained smoothly. "My pets have been getting out on me. I assure you it won't happen again. Will it Joe?"

Joe blinked several times, shooting Blaire an enraged look. Pets? Her? His pet? Oh she was going to kill him...

"So... You're little pets get out. You decide to come here... Where the hell are you from anyway?"

"I have a cabin up in the mountains. I'm not much of a people vehicle. I enjoy the peace and quiet."

Sheriff looked uncertain of that. Therefore the next question was Doc's.

"So how did you lose them?"

"Well I've had a feeling they were getting out at night. So when they didn't come back I went looking for them."

"How did you know they were here?" Doc asked slowly.

"I heard Ranger's barking. I figured I would start in the towns and ask around. Your town is the closest. I just got lucky."

"Right..." Sheriff muttered slowly.

"Sheriff. Can I speak to you a moment?" Doc muttered, gaining a nod from Sheriff. The both of them quietly backed off into Doc's office to converse, leaving Joe and Blaire alone in the room. As the door clicked closed, Blaire turned an almost furious gaze on Joe.

"Joe!" He whispered harshly, keeping voice as low as he could. "How much did you tell them?"

Joe glared at him and shook her head a bit, voice dropping. "Pet?"

"It was all I could think of! I never expected them to find you." Blaire pointed out, gaining another huff from Joe.

"Did you see Ranger?"

"Yeah... He's out there. He's fine..."

"What about my horse?"

"David caught him up in the hills." Blaire whispered softly, the Mustang falling abruptly silent as Sheriff and Doc came back into the room.

"Alright then..." Doc started off, his gaze falling to Blaire. "First off... She needs medical attention. Therefore if you are in fact her owner call a vet. Second... You will fully be held accountable for the crimes committed thus far by your pet. You will also be tried for having an illegal exotic animal... If she is in fact your pet we have no choice but to contact animal control. Now do you understand all of this?"

Blaire gave an indignant snort and shook his grill. "Animal Control? Now come on be reasonable..."

"I am being reasonable. Sheriff escort this young man and his pet over to the impound lot... Though first he needs to call a vet..."

"I can take care of her..." Blaire pointed out quickly.

"Very well. Then Sheriff escort them to the impound lot. Court is first thing in the morning." Doc stated flatly, turning sharply in the small area and rolling out of the clinic.

"You heard him. Come on." Sheriff stated, nudging the Mustang into moving.

The early morning light was turning to late morning as the trio crossed the street, Joe tagging along moodily behind the two vehicles. Neither Joe nor Blaire put up much of a protest as they were let into the enclosure. Ranger's barking instantly stopped as he trotted his way over to Joe and flopped down on the ground with a soft pant. Joe sank down to the ground beside him, quietly stroking his head. As soon as the gates were closed, Blaire seemed to loose interest in glaring at the Sheriff and made his way over to Joe, sinking down to the ground beside her.

"Doc, you sure all this is necessary?" Sheriff questioned as he once more crossed the street to where the old car sat parked.

"One of them is pullin' my tire Sheriff. If it takes goin' through the whole judging process to figure out who we'll do it. I want you and Seth to stand guard over them... Let them think about their situation over night. In the morning maybe they'll be more cooperative."

"So you don't want me to call in animal control?"

"No... Though let them think you did. Let them fret over that for a while. I need to go speak with Flo... No matter who is truly at fault someone is going to be doing some community service. I need to work out just what would benefit Flo."

"You got it Doc." Sheriff offered as he silently rolled his way over to Seth. Doc smiled softly as he watched Seth nod a few times at what he was being told. The Mustang then turned and rolled off towards the station, leaving Sheriff to sit parked alone in front of the impound. Doc sighed softly and turned, heading off towards the cafe. One quiet day... That was all he wanted. Just one quiet day...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So you think it was that howler thing?" Flo questioned, looking just a bit confused over what she was being told.

"Well I'm getting two conflicting stories Flo... I'm hoping to get the true story out of them tomorrow. Either way though I would like to put whoever is responsible on community service. I just need to know what could help you?" Doc explained, gaining a slow nod from Flo. The show car quietly moved across the living room of her home to look out the window at the cafe a frown crossing her grill.

Doc had always liked Flo and Ramone's home... A quiet blend of old and new, just homey enough to feel comfortable in. It was a small house. Very small. However, it felt well lived in and Flo always kept it neat as a pin.

"Well, I could use one of them working the pumps... Cleaning up around the cafe... Things like that." She mused softly.

Doc chuckled and tilted just a bit on his frame. "You feel guilty don't you..."

"If I thought they needed the fuel I would have given it to them Doc." Flo stated with a light nod. Doc chuckled and nodded again. "Flo, stand your ground. They do need to pay for this. Where's Ramone this afternoon? I didn't see him over at the shop.

"He went into Brixby for a paint order." Flo commented, and turned back to Doc, dipping down on her shocks in form of a shrug. "So what's the Mustang have to do with it? Doc caught the human and the Howler red tired."

"I know. But he rolled into town this morning and took responsibility for the two. I don't know what to make of him... I'm hoping the thought of losing those two bios will get him talking."

"And the bios?"

"Well for them... The thought of being sent off with animal control I think should do it."

"You won't actually send them away will you Doc?" Flo questioned slowly, gaining a shake of Doc's grill.

"Not unless I have to... If they are dangerous I won't have much of a choice." Flo gave a slow nod to that, her gaze once more turning out the window.

"What about Ramone? Can he use the help over at his shop? I think after stealing five days worth of fuel we can uphold their time for quite a while..." Doc mused.

Flo chuckled softly and nodded. "I think he said something about needing some help cleaning out the storage room."

"Works for me. Don't look so glum Flo. You might be feeling down now because of this... But things will look up." Doc offered with a nod, quietly turning and heading out the front door. Flo nodded a bit, a smile shot his way as she was left alone to her thoughts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was amazing how dark the town could get. Blaire stared through the chain link of the impound yard, across the street at the black mustang that was standing guard. The older police car had been standing guard until about an hour after dark. Then he had gone off to his own thing, leaving behind the Mustang. Down the street was a much brighter outlook, the lights of the cafe setting off a soft glow.

"Blaire? What are we gonna do?"

"I'm going to figure out a way to get you two out of here... You two are going to go hide up in the mountains and stay there... Then they can bury me under the jail for all I care." Blaire whispered, drawing a soft frown from Joe.

"Blaire... You can't take the fall for us."

"Why not? Joe you have to get back. Your brother is worried sick. You know he wouldn't have sent me out here if he wasn't." Blaire pointed out softly.

Joe gave a slow nod to that, a sigh released. She hoped he was alright. The last she had seen of her brother she had been right behind him... He trusted her to be able to fend for herself. She doubted he knew she hadn't been behind him until he hit the safety of the forests... Especially of her horse had kept going. He would have heard the hoofbeats behind him and not worried.

"I don't like it Blaire... Aside from that we can't get out of here. We've already looked everywhere... And that car hasn't stopped watching us yet..."

"More than likely he won't... I'll figure it out. We still have a few hours." Blaire muttered softly then turned to face Joe. "So how's your arm?"

"It's fine. I wrapped it. Just a pulled muscle I think. I'm damn lucky to, that crazy car flipped the whole dang cart... And there's not much to figure out Blaire... We can't let you take the fall for us..."

"And I can't let you go to a zoo or a lab somewhere now can I?" Blaire shot back.

Joe nodded slowly and gave a heavy sigh. "I think I was starting to make a point before you declared me a pet... I think we should tell them about us."

"First off the whole pet thing was David's idea. Don't fuss at me. Second... I don't think that's such a good idea. I mean, you tell them about your little thing you've got going on up in the mountains and all of a sudden you have some car from a lab somewhere knocking on your front door. You know the stories your grandfather told us..."

"Yes I do Blaire... I also remember him telling us that without the help of a car from this town we wouldn't be here." Joe pointed out, gaining a sigh from Blaire.

"A car who's been dead for years..."

"But a car none the less... I don't know if you've noticed Blaire but we haven't been doing so well since Grandpa died..."

"Oh I've noticed..." Blaire muttered, a soft sigh released. "So what do you want to do then?"

Joe let out a soft grunt and let her head drop so that her face buried into Ranger's soft fur. "We need help..."

"Well yes we do... But from who?"

Joe was silent for several long moments. That was the big question... Who? "You always tell me I need to be more a leader..."

"Yes I do." Blaire commented softly.

"Well I'm being a leader now. We're going to tell them everything. Tomorrow at that trail. We'll tell them who we are... You're going to have to help me Blaire. They'll listen to you. You're like them. If we tell them everything and they still want are not on our side... You have to get away. Go back up to the mountains and get everyone out..."

"That sounds like a plan of desperation to me..." Blaire muttered softly.

"You got a better one?"

"Well no..."

"There you go. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Blaire released a sigh and nodded slowly. She was right... Slowly the Mustang pulled up to the fence once more and looked out across the street. The cafe was dark now... The only living thing out there was the black Mustang... Dawn was fast approaching.

"Hey Joe?" Blaire questioned slowly, briefly catching her attention. "We're screwed..."

Joe sighed softly and nodded, as she leaned her back, back against the fence, one hand idly stroking across the top of Ranger's head. "Yep..."

_To Be Continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Pixar owns cars. It is not mine. Though it would rock if it were... Blaire, Seth, Joe, and Ranger however are. They belong to me... No takey. Unless you ask very nicely. Then I could be swayed.

Notes: I know, I have a lot of people now going eh? This story is not over yet. Despite the fact that I am ending it. You see between this chapter and the next there will be one hell of a time lapse. I felt it would shake up the flow of the story. Therefore I decided to make the rest a sequel. It's the same story but it's two small stories posing as a huge one. Therefore rather than kill the flow I'm breaking it up. Aside from that the ending just seemed... Right... So the rest is coming don't freak out on me to badly. Aside from that I'm enjoying this story. Thanks for the reviews y'all. You're right I messed up in a couple places on it. However I'm hoping people can turn a blind eye to it and really enjoy the rest of the story. I spotted them after they were pointed out to me. And glad someone caught that planet of the apes ref! Anyway enjoy! And on an off note.. I scared myself... I also made myself cry... Darn them all...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright, rise and shine you three!"

Blaire released a soft groan as he forced himself to his tires. Close by Joe attempted to cover her face with a whine. Now that Blaire had moved the harsh sun poured over her, demanding that she wake up and face up to the day. On Joe's other side Ranger growled softly, his muzzle lifting up to give the Sheriff a rather sour look.

"This is cruel and unusual punishment... We have our rights you know." Blaire complained as he gave a slight stretch. "You can't keep us here without charge."

"Actually I can keep you here for twenty four hours without charging you with a damn thing. Aside from that it has not yet been twenty four hours, and you are about to be charged in a court of law if you would get up and get moving." Sheriff pointed out, pulling a heavy sigh from Blaire.

"Fine... Then what about our lawyer. We're initialed to one."

"Blaire..." The Mustang glanced down at the human still laying across the ground and sighed heavily.

"Oh yeah... Sorry Joe."

"Don't worry about it." Joe muttered, yawning as she rolled over. "However, I have a few human friends that are pretty quick to your laws if you would allow us to travel back to the mountains and..."

"You may call any lawyer you like so long as you can CALL them. You're not going anywhere." Sheriff pointed out flatly. "As it is Joe we really don't know what to do with you. However, as you seem to be perfectly competent to stand trial, you will be held to the laws of any vehicle. Do you understand?"

"So I'll be treated like a car and not like some stray animal?" She questioned, a brief smirk crossing her face. "Yeah I can handle that."

"I don't know Joe. Animals get those nice little Peta people who throw paint at people who have fur lined covers."

Joe rolled her eyes and kicked Blaire's side panel as hard as she could from where she was laying. Blaire yelped and jumped away, though still soft chuckles emitted from him.

"Alright you two stop playing around and lets go. One of you get a handle on the howler."

Joe gave a shrug and silently stood up with a stretch. She silently unbuckled her own belt, looping it around to form a make shift leash attached to the rope collar she had around Ranger's neck. "Alright, alright. But I agree with Blaire. This is cruel and unusual punishment..."

"You haven't seen cruel and unusual yet young lady. Now lets go." Sheriff groused, as he fitted a boot onto Blaire's front tire.

"That a threat Sheriff?" Blaire questioned, holding his tire just a bit off the ground without a fight as the boot was fitted onto it.

"That's an it's to early in the morning to be having to deal with this." Sheriff groused once more. Already the Mustang was proving to be able to work at his last nerve.

"You know Sheriff, I entirely agree. It's way to early to even be having this discussion. So I'll tell you what. Let's wait a few hours."

"Right... So that we pass the twenty four hour mark and are forced to allow you both to walk free."

"Hmm, well I didn't say the plan was flawless." Blaire pointed out. Sheriff stared at the car for a moment, though after a moment couldn't help a soft chuckle.

"Alright, enough clowning around. Lets go..." Sheriff muttered, turning and rolling his way out of the impound. Blaire shrugged and followed along behind, forced to hop in a rather awkward gait as Joe and Ranger kept close to his side.

It was a long walk down the street... A mile from one end of town to the other was nothing to a vehicle, the distance considered nothing. However, to Joe it was a rather long walk.

By her perception the court house was also, absolutely massive. The wide cavernous room built to comfortably hold several vehicles to seemed like that of a capitol building.

The entire town was already gathered, rows of vehicles seated at attention in the building. It was disturbing... They came into an absolute dead silence... At Joe's side, Ranger made the only sound, the dog letting off an uneasy whine.

"My thoughts exactly Ranger..." Blaire muttered, pulling a brief giggle from Joe as they silently took their stand in a space marked off for the accused.

"When a suspect has no lawyer, the court will appoint one to them." Sheriff rattled off, his attention shifting across the group of gathered vehicles. "Anyone want to be their lawyer?"

"I'll do it!" Of course it was Mater. Beside him Lightning chuckled softly, a smirk crossing his grill.

"With all do respect Sheriff..." Blaire suddenly butted in, a smile crossing his grill. "I may not be a lawyer but in my career I have had to study law or at least be familiar with it. I would like to stand as our own lawyer... I believe it would be in our best interest."

"You never told me you studied law." Joe mused, cutting a sideways look at Blaire.

"You never asked." He pointed out with a chuckle.

Joe paused, a slight shrug given as she nodded. He had a point.

"Very well. You can act as your own lawyer. Sally! You here?"

"I'm here. Sorry Sheriff." Sally called back as she rolled up to the front of the room.

"Hey... Who's that?" Blaire mused to himself from where he sat parked. Joe rolled her eyes and kicked his side panel, drawing a soft yelp from the Mustang.

"Focus lover boy."

"Sorry..."

"All arise for the honorable Judge, Doc Hudson." Sheriff called out. Everyone stood a bit more at attention, but the only one who actually rose was a car in the back with one hell of an undercarriage suspension...

The same old car from the day before quietly rolled behind the podium. As soon as he was behind it, a lift, rose him up and turned him to face the group gathered, his hard gaze quietly staring at the three in question. Ranger whined and tucked his tail, quietly pressing closer to Joe's side, who quietly pressed closer to Blaire's side.

"Alright then... It seems you three have had time to sit and think about this. So what do you all have to say for yourselves?"

Blaire and Joe remained entirely silent. Ranger picked that time to bark at Doc, though was quickly silenced by Joe.

"So... The only one of you willing to speak is the howler?"

"He's a dog." Joe muttered flatly. "And his name is Ranger."

"Very well... Somebody other than Ranger had best say something then."

"Blaire didn't have anything to do with this." Joe suddenly blurted, gaining a slight glare from Blaire.

"I had everything to do with it." Blaire argued, though both were silenced before they really got off on it by Doc's horn blowing and a demanded "Order!"

"I don't care who did what. Now what I do know is that we have had someone breaking into poor Flo's business and robbing her blind. Someone is going to pay for that."

"I'll do it myself." Joe suddenly blurted, gaining an odd look from Blaire. "I did it. So I'll pay for it. Want to throw me in Jail? Go ahead. Make me work off my debt be my guest. I'll do it without complaint, but you've threatened me with animal control. I am not an animal. However, I can certainly act like one if you keep that up."

Doc sighed and rolled his eyes, grumbling something or other under his breath. It was amazing but these two seemed to know just how to get under his paint.

"Alright... Look, we really don't mean any harm..." Blaire tried, attempting to smooth things over just a bit. "What Joe and David did, they did out of desperation."

"Was David the other rider?" Sheriff questioned, gaining a slow nod from Joe.

"David is my brother..."

"Great... So one more suspect in this little party..." Doc mused softly as he glanced over to Blaire. "I take it he's also your pet?"

Blaire flinched just a bit, avoiding Joe's rather sour gaze.

"Alright... Now I have two stories going on here. Right now the one I'm willing to accept just to get this headache over with is Blaire's side." Their eyes widened just a bit, human and Mustang exchanging a worried look.

"Or rather at least the one that will be much less of a headache. So... Unless someone wants to give me a straight answer... My judgement is that Blaire will spend thirty days in the country jail with a five thousand dollar fine for keeping an illegal exotic pet. In that time he will work off the damages that exotic pet has caused. Said exotic pet will also be kept in the county jail until the time that an animal control officer can be called in to take said pet to somewhere more suitable for its needs. That is... Unless someone wants to give me clear cut story and a good reason why these, by Blaire's definition, animals can not be taken by animal control." Doc stated flatly, staring the two down.

"I think he's bluffing..." Joe whispered softly.

"Do you really want to take that chance?" Blaire whispered back, then turned his attention to Doc.

"The law states that a pet is not illegal unless it can be considered dangerous to the public. My pets stole fuel, however they have not been destructive nor have they harmed anyone. Neither one of them are vicious."

"On the contrary." Doc put in. "The dog as you call it bit the deputy of our town. Hard enough that his tire was punctured. I would call that, causing harm."

Seth rose up to protest, but at a look from Sheriff, the sports car settled right back down again.

"The only reason Ranger would attack is if he thought that Joe was in danger. He is trained to protect her." Blaire stated simply. "Joe's arm was injured therefore I can only guess that she was in fact very much in danger."

"That's enough Blaire. My ruling is final. If you have an exotic pet, it has to go. However, if you do not have an exotic pet that is a different story." Doc stated flatly.

Again Joe and Blaire exchanged a long look. After a moment Blaire sighed heavily and lifted his gaze up to Doc. "Sir, if you don't mind I would like about fifteen minutes to consider that information..."

"Take the time you need." Doc agreed with a light nod. Blaire nodded a bit, quietly conversing with Joe as the gathered group broke up just a bit, talking quietly among themselves.

"Well Doc?" Sheriff whispered softly, watching as Joe knelt down close to Blaire's grill so that they could speak softly to each other.

"I think they're both stubborn. Blaire is so focused on protecting the human he's missing the big picture here..." Doc mused.

"You won't really call in animal control will you?" Sheriff questioned slowly.

"Of course not. Though I will lock them up until the Jail rots around them if they keep it up."

Sheriff chuckled softly and nodded, quietly sitting back to watch the two. Those fifteen minutes pased by quickly. The two were still quietly arguing among themselves as Doc cleared his throat.

"Well?"

Blaire sighed heavily and looked up at Doc with a somewhat defeated look. "Joe and Ranger are not my pets... If anything Ranger is a pet of Joe's... And Joe is my friend."

"Very well. Joe. We have decided that under a court of law you are competent to stand trial. Therefore you will be treated and tried as any vehicle under my ruling. Blaire you may leave."

"Now wait a moment Doc. If you are allowing Joe to stand trail and be treated as any other vehicle then she also should have the same right to a lawyer. I'm already standing as her lawyer. Aside from that I can not leave her."

"Very well..." Doc muttered, a slight sigh given. "Let the games begin then..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You know I knew there was a reason that I didn't become a lawyer. I had an issue with all fluids in me being replaced with ice water."

Joe gave a snort of laughter at Blaire's comment as they sat off to one side of the court room. It had been a long morning... The case of animals causing trouble had been cut and dry. If the owner couldn't control said animals, then they would be taken away. Exotic animals were illegal anyway. It was cut and dry. Now it wasn't...

Sally, the town attorney, had spent most of the morning laying down the case from the town as well as Flo's side of things. It wasn't just the town that the crime was against. It was Flo. Therefore on the other side of the court room Flo sat in silence with her lawyer... Sally.

Flo refused to so much as look in their direction. The lowrider beside her, did nothing but glare in their direction.

The statements had gone on fairly smoothly, but for Blaire objecting every other word. Sally frequently slipped up and refereed to the human in question as an it in the beginning. Blaire just as frequently protested and declared discrimination against his client.

Towards the end it had shifted a bit. Joe was now refereed to by name and nothing else. Blaire still objected to everything that he could.

Now they had taken a recess for lunch. Sheriff had tried to take Joe back to the impound lot. She had allowed him to take Ranger back so the dog could wander around a bit and get some water. However, Blaire had pointed out that since they obviously could not offer Joe any form of nutrition and that she had obviously not had any form of nutrition in two days that the least they could do was give her some water and let her hang around the court house for that time. Sheriff had agreed on that point and quietly taken the dog back.

That had been ten minutes ago... Since they were on a hour recess the time was dragging itself on... Against Blaire's side Joe sighed heavily and thumped her head back against his side panel. "It's your turn to talk after this right?"

"Mhmm" Blaire muttered, quietly watching the other vehicles mill around.

"Why aren't you eating lunch?" Joe questioned, flopping down so that she was looking at him upside down, her head resting near his tire.

"I'll eat when you eat. I'll try to get Doc to let me drive up to the colony to get you something this evening... Though don't want to leave you here alone."

"I'll be alright." Joe muttered, rolling over onto her stomach and propping her chin up on her hands. "And you should get something. It's like survival. You might need to rescue me or something. Where will you be if you run out of gas?"

"Nice try... So what do you want me to tell them anyway?"

Joe sighed, her eyes falling closed as she thought. "I wonder if we can request all those other yahoos get out. I mean, letting the two cars from yesterday know is one thing... The rest of the town?"

"What?" Blaire questioned, his frame tilting to the side at her rambling.

"Sorry... I meant we should tell them about the colony. I mean... They already know there's humans in the area. We already might have to move... And this is the town my Grandfather's friend was from... They might be just as ok with it."

"Sheriff McDuffy was alright with it because he felt he owed your grandfather." Blaire pointed out, though Joe quietly shook her head.

"I don't think so. I think maybe at first... But you know the other stories. If Sherif McDuffy felt he owed Grandpa he would have helped him set up the power relay then never spoken to him again. He helped us out a lot..."

"Yeah but..."

"All arise!"

Blaire looked up as Sheriff put an end to the chatter, only then realizing that an hour had actually crawled by. It was time to get back to the grind stone...

Joe sighed and sat up, quietly standing up and leaning back against the wall as Doc came back into the room.

"Alright..." Doc started off as everyone settled once more, the court room falling back to silence.

"We have been very well informed of the town's side... Blaire I assume you have something to add to this case?"

"Yes I do... My client is willing to explain every part of this... However, she is not comfortable with speaking in front of the entire town."

"Blaire this is a court of law and will be treated as such. She asked to be treated as a car and like any car she will not receive special treatment. Now either give us a statement or sit back down and let the trial continue."

Blaire sighed heavily and glanced back at Joe who only nodded.

"Very well... My name is Blaire McCullins. I was a-"

"Hold up!" The entire court room turned to look at Lightning who now seemed much more interested in what was going on.

"The Journalist Blaire McCullins?"

Blaire sighed heavily and nodded slowly...

"As in Crazy McCullins, that Blaire McCullins?"

"I am not crazy!" Blaire snapped. Joe flinched and laid a hand on the Mustang's hood.

"Doc I object." Sally suddenly put in. "The defending lawyer is in no way qualified, nor is he competent to be able to offer any valid defense. Despite that he's a fugitive himself!"

Doc's eyes widened just a bit, his gaze snapping back to Blaire who cowered back just a bit. "A fugitive?"

"Yeah Doc... The story was all over the papers a few years ago..."

"Kid ya know this town doesn't always mind the news from the outside." Sheriff pointed out. If any of them read about it, it was most likely forgotten since it didn't exactly concern them.

Sally nodded a bit, and frowned deeply. "Crazy McCullins was a journalist and photographer from California. Bright kid to... Studied in England then came back home to the states. The story goes he went out to do an expose on small towns in the desert area around Route 66. He came back after about a month blabbing something about monsters in the woods. He was institutionalized soon after."

Blaire let out a growl, pulling forward just a bit. "All on false charges!"

"As I was saying." Sally cut in with a sharp look. "A couple months later he escaped the mental institution and disappeared. Local law enforcement searched for him for weeks but came up with nothing. No one ever heard from him again."

"You can't hold that against him!" Joe yelled, her hands on her hips as she marched forward up to stand in front of Doc's stand. "Since he's obviously not crazy there was no reason for him to be there. He only escaped in the first place to prove he wasn't crazy!"

"Monsters in the woods? How do you figure him for not being crazy?" Lightning questioned, one eye quirking a bit.

Joe spun around and raised her hands in the air dramatically. "Hello! Monsters? Boo! What the hell would you call me if you didn't know what the hell I was huh? Scary two legger!"

"At night she looked a lot bigger..." Blaire muttered softly. "And she was on the back of her horse... Which I thought was her as well..."

"That still doesn't-"

"Order!"

Sally instantly cut off what she was about to say as Joe flinched away from Doc's stand and scurried back to hide behind Blaire.

"Not another objection out of anyone. Not a single one understand me? This has gone on long enough... Now... Sally, you hush. Joe, you sit down. Blaire, you talk. Now." Doc ordered, sending everyone scurrying to do as they were told.

"Well... As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted... Yes... I am that Blaire McCullins. I came out here several years ago to do a special article for a magazine I was trying to apply for... My father loved this road... Had been through this town a few times and always went on about how nice the people always were. So I really wanted to come to this area... I cut through the mountains to get a good look at the scenery and get some good pictures for the magazine... I was trying to get a few sunset pictures over the desert so of course when I was coming back down it was well after dark... Joe was out on a supply run towards the river... I wound up almost hitting her. Gave her quite a fright but I was more afraid of her than she was of me..."

"Says you. You knocked several years off of my life." Joe protested, gaining a slight roll of Blaire's eyes. I got a picture of her but it was blurred... I honestly forgot about the rest of the article... I turned tail and took off for home... I was raised in the city and after seeing that I didn't want to see much more of the woods..."

That brought a soft round of chuckles and Blaire actually looked a little sheepish. "Anyway... I went back home and of course reported everything that I had seen... No one believed me... After a while they got tired of hearing it... I couldn't get a job anywhere because of it. So I took my find to a higher source... In retrospect going to the capitol was just a bit out of bounds... So after my brother came and picked me up from jail after convincing the judge I wasn't a terrorist... He had me committed..."

"I knew if I could just get a picture of one of them... A clear picture, that people would believe me. So one night the chance came up... I got out of there and drove back here... It was near midnight by time I pulled into town... And I was so focused on getting up to the mountains that I was going a little fast... So of course there were blue lights in my rear view..."

Sheriff chuckled softly to that, a smirk crossing his grill.

"Don't chuckle to hard Sheriff you didn't catch me." Blaire pointed out with a slight smile. "Anyway I had just escaped a mental institution... I wasn't going back. So I turned off my headlights and picked up speed through the mountains. And honestly the only reason I lost him was because I missed a turn and went off the side of the mountain into a river..."

Blaire took in a deep breath and shook his grill. "I woke up several days later in an underground cave with that dang dog of Joe's licking my grill..."

"He loved you from hello." Joe chirrped with a soft giggle.

Blaire chuckled and nodded a bit. "I wouldn't be here now if Joe and her father hadn't seen me go into the river... They pulled me out with what I later found out were horses... They brought me down to their colony and fixed me up... Did a fine job of it to. I can't even tell that my engine was ever flooded..."

"It did cross my mind to take pictures and get the hell out of there... But... I couldn't do it. I would have preferred the whole world think I was crazy than hurt them." Blaire explained slowly.

"After I was back on my tires I realized that without that proof I couldn't go back... So I used my mother's maiden name and bought a cabin up in the mountains... I've been there with them ever since..."

"They don't mean any harm... They've thrived up there for so long. But since the lost of the electricity that was allowing them to hide underground as they were... They haven't been doing so well... They can't get food as they once could. And clean water is hard to come by... They're dying up there. All of them... They have families and lives... And we owe them so much... They created us. All of us. How else do they know our systems? They designed them..."

"Now Blaire that's quite enough. We all know that's only a story." Doc scolded but Blaire shook his grill.

"It's not! I know it's not! They created us. They made us and we killed them."

"And how do you know that? They told you that?" Doc questioned with a quirk of his eye.

"Because I've seen the firsts!"

The silence was absolutely deafening...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ok so back up... What's the firsts and why are they so bad?"

"It's not that they're bad Joe... It's that cars now do not believe in them. It's tabu to even bring them up. Sort of like cursing in front of a nun ya know?"

Joe nodded slowly as she watched Blaire pace back and forth along the line of fencing of the impound lot. She wasn't entirely sure what had finally gotten them sent back... She supposed it could have been the discovery that Blaire was an escaped mental patient and had started going on about things they didn't believe in...

"But that doesn't explain what they are... Or why it got us thrown back in here."

"You know about the firsts Joe... Back at the colony?"

"Oh! The cars you're afraid of..."

"That would be them. Look Joe we really need to get out of here... At this rate I don't trust that Doc Hudson not to call animal control anyway and I'm fairly certain he'll be calling the authorities on me..."

"He promised to give me a trial like any other car... I trust him." Joe insisted, gaining a soft sigh from Blaire.

"All the good that's done us thus far... We don't know what he's planning."

"Blaire we don't even know what we're planning. Give it a rest." Joe muttered softly, a hand stroking absently across the top of Ranger's head.

"We need to get you out of here Joe. How long as it been since you've eaten?"

"Don't worry about it. I have one of those nutrition bar things." She explained, silently reaching into her inner jacket pocket. Clothing made from scraps of material found and thrown away by vehicle kind not exactly fashionable but it worked... As it was the faded brown leather jacket that had probably started its life as furniture coverings was now her favored look... And it was looking as if it was going to be her look for a long while if she didn't get out of here...

"Well then eat it... Joe you need that to survive..."

"I know that Blaire I'm kinda familiar with it... I'll split it between me and Ranger when I have to. For now I can still survive. Save rations until absolutely necessary."

Blaire rolled his eyes though had to nod. They didn't know when they were getting out... So much for him going on a supply run.

"I should have stayed away... I should have let you handle it your way. You probably would have been out by now without me screwing things up..." Blaire muttered, slowly folding his tires up underneath his undercarriage and sinking to the ground. Joe sighed and scooted over, resting her head lightly against his side panel. "If it helps Bucko... I'm really glad you're here. I needed someone to talk to..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That car's crazy! Doc he could very well be dangerous why haven't we called the authorities?"

"Sally for the last time... Settle down. I don't think he's dangerous. Aside from that Sheriff and Seth are perfectly capable of handling it for now..." Doc muttered, looking more than a little tired of even speaking on the subject matter.

"But Doc!"

"Sally enough. We'll worry about it in the morning."

"But-"

"Every body look who's here!"

The group turned their attention to Flo coming in, a round of smiles given as she carefully guided Lizzie into the lot that made up the cafe. Lizzie was in her last few months of life. It saddened them all to think of it... But they all knew it. Before Seth's transformation into the mortal realm he himself had told Sheriff that he had been frequently visiting Lizzie to attempt to ease the transition in death. As it was she had her good days and her bad days... Most days she spent all of her time in her small home. She was growing more and more tired as she aged... However tonight she seemed to be looking a bit more perky. Perky enough that she rolled quietly along beside Flo.

"How are you feeling Lizzie?" Doc questioned softly, gaining a smile from the old bird.

"I'm feeling alright today... That nice man came and talked to me again."

"That's nice Lizzie." Doc offered a patient smile crossing his grill.

"Hey Sheriff. You've rounded up another hot rod in the impound I see." Lizzie mused, gaining a soft chuckle from the patrol car.

"Folks seem to be linein' up to get in there as of late."

"What did he do?"

Sheriff and Doc cast a glance at each other stumbling a bit.

"Oh he just caused a bit of a ruckus Lizzie. Don't worry about him." Flo offered, a smile crossing her grill.

Lizzie chuckled and nodded, though the silence of the night was broken by the sharp bark of Ranger, the sound smothered off in a second by Joe who flatly told the dog to shut it.

"Oh I remember that..." Lizzie mused, a smile crossing her grill, her features turning just a bit dreamy as they did when she was reliving an event. She was becoming a bit absent minded but in those moments she would smile at some memory and almost seemed to relive it. She was so happy in those moments. The others were hard pressed to break the moment, instead simply going with it and allowing her to talk it out.

"You heard the howlers the other night to miss Lizzie?" Mater questioned, though it was met with a soft chuckle.

"Oh Mater don't be silly... No... I remember that sound from when I was just a girl... I remember the dogs barking in the city streets..."

That caught their attention. Slowly Doc pressed a question on the minds of all. "Do you remember the dogs then?"

"Oh yes... They where such nice fluffy animals. They were the favored pets of the humans you know... Oh I haven't seen a human since I was just a girl... Then they were all gone..."

"Lizzie? Exactly how old are you?" Flo questioned slowly, gaining a soft chuckle from Lizzie. None of them had ever asked. They had felt it rude...

"Very old child... Very old. I was born in the middle of the great war."

"Lizzie the great war is just a myth." Doc scolded, but Lizzie shook her grill.

"Oh no Doc. Folks would like you to think that. That's our burden to bear... The great war... It was horrible."

"See man? The government is keepin' us down with that man..." Fillmore insisted, gaining a rather sour look from Sarge.

"Well of course." Lizzie offered with a laugh. "What race would want to know that another race was responsible for its being?"

"Tell us about it Lizzie?" Sally requested softly gaining a nod from the old car. Lizzie smiled happily and nodded.

"I was born in the middle of it. I remember when I was just a girl at my mama's side listening to the fighting outside. The humans created the firsts you see... Then some of the firsts decided that car kind were superior. They began creating more... Others of the firsts did not like this. They stayed with the humans... Car numbers grew..."

She had the complete attention of everyone now. Even Sarge seemed entirely swept in where he normally could care less.

"The fighting lasted so long... Then one day when I was just a girl there was something in the news... The humans claimed the cars had put something in the water. The cars claimed they did not... I never believed that... Because the humans soon after began falling sick... The plague lasted for years... Only a very small handful of them didn't get sick."

"So cars practiced biological warfare?" Sarge questioned slowly.

"That is what they called it. The humans were very angry. They said we had agreed not to. We had agreed no chemical and no biological warfare. Cars said that we didn't do it. Then they were gone."

"You mean they all died?" Mater asked, his eyes wide.

"No... They were just gone. Cars thought that they went underground... The survivors that is. A lot died... I remember as a girl... They day cars declared the war over. I was driving down the street at my mama's side... The sidewalks were lined with humans... Men... Women... Children... And many of those dogs and cats that they loved... It hit them to. It started with the pets... The humans said it was in the water but I always thought it started with the pets." Lizzie mused and shrugged a bit on her shocks.

"Every now and again someone would claim to have seen one. Usually a miner... But I remember their bodies... And I remember the graves... They would dig huge pits and throw the bodied in and cover them up again... I remember watching it with my mama. I remember my mama looked down at me and said that this was our burden... That this was our burden to bear. That we had done wrong. That cars would for all time carry the burden of the human's death on their backs like a weight. She said that what goes around comes around... I wait for it to come around." Lizzie mused softly with a nod.

The cafe was dead quiet. What Lizzie had told them rang through their minds like a fright train...

"I'm tired. And I need to rest up. That nice young man said he would take me dancing tonight!" Lizzie announced softly, gaining a slow nod from Flo. Lizzie bid everyone good night, before she turned and slowly made her way back across the street, carefully lead by Flo.

"That... Doesn't seem possible... I mean... Lizzie can't be more than a hundred or so years old. How can we lose that much history in a hundred years. If what she says is true then we don't know anything!" Sally declared.

"The government is feeding us a bunch of lies man." Fillmore insisted, and for once Sarge didn't argue.

"It happens with War... I mean we live in America. I'll bet if you take any American war and read it in the history books then go over seas to the country we fought with you wouldn't even recognize the history. He who wins the war gets to tell about it. I imagine after a while cars just didn't want to remember that." Sarge theorized, gaining a slow nod from the others.

"But it's not a government conspiracy hippy... Something like that takes a whole society."

"Sort of an all for one and one for all kinda thing..." Lightning mused.

"It's sick!" Seth blurted out suddenly. "They had just as much right to be here as we did."

"We can't change it son..." Sheriff offered gently.

Lizzie... Had given them all a lot of think about...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was well past midnight by the time Seth made his way to his post. He was in charge of watching the prisoners tonight. Already he was a bit uneasy by it... He didn't want this job... For the first time in his life he hated what he was. What his kind had done...

It was as if he had already known. As if there was this weight... This horrible feeling of dread that told him there was so much more to this life than he ever thought possible... So much more that he took for granted...

"Seth!" Seth paused in the street and smiled as he left his post for a moment to cross the street. Lizzie sat on her front porch a smile etched across her grill.

"Lizzie... I thought you had gone to bed."

"I did. I just wanted to speak with you Seth."

"Well I'm here. I'll tell ya Lizzie a little bit of sleep does wonders for you. You look great." He commented with a chuckle, looking over the old car. She looked... Alive somehow. As if all of a sudden she just had energy in her.

"I got plenty of rest. I'm going dancing!"

Seth couldnt' help but laugh. The things she came up with. "Lizzie I have to get back to my post."

"I know. I just wanted to tell you something." She explained, gaining a nod from Seth.

"What's that?"

"You're father loves you."

Seth gave a slight blink, his frame tilting a bit. "Pardon?"

"You're father. He loves you. No matter what you decide. No matter what you are. No matter who you are. He will always love you. You will always be his son. Do you understand? Always."

Seth blinked at the batty old car. She was apparently having a bad night... Probably dreaming...

"I know Lizzie. I love Dad to."

"Tell me always Seth..." Lizzie scolded, pulling a soft chuckle from Seth.

"Always Lizzie... No matter what he's my Dad."

He didn't know what about that had done it. But a bright grin crossed Lizzie's grill. "You're such a good boy Seth..." Lizzie cooed. Seth could remember as if in a haze hearing that before. A small little Mustang who had once offered to help Lizzie in the store while his father worked the roads...

"Come here Seth." Lizzie beckoned. Without protest Seth rolled forward, a tire reaching out, the two nuzzling against each other.

"I love you to Seth. We all do. Always." Lizzie promised and backed off a bit. "You do what you have to do Seth. Your father will love you. Your father will understand. You be you." Lizzie insisted, gaining a slow nod from Seth. "Now, go on back to your chores. I'm going dancing!" Lizzie giggled softly, pulling a smile from Seth.

"You do that Lizzie. You save a dance for me!" He called as he rolled of the porch.

"Oh I will Seth! I'll be waiting and you and I will dance with you one day!" She called back.

Seth chuckled softly to himself as he moved back to his post. When he looked back Lizzie had already gone back inside.

"Lizzie you're crazy as the day is long but I still love ya." Seth chuckled, his attention turning back to the impound yard.

An hour crept by... The whole time the three prisoners didn't speak a word. They remained huddled together, the dog the human and the car...

They didn't move...

For whatever reasons Lizzie's words wouldn't leave Seth's mind. Any of them... The weight... It had gotten so much heavier in the few hours... The amount of sympathy he felt for those three he couldn't even understand. It was as if he had to do something... Anything... Though a huge part of him didn't want to disappoint the Sheriff... Didn't want to disappoint his father... Any of the town...

Around two in the morning there was some movement in the impound lot. Blaire had gotten to his tires and moved to the gate, quietly looking out across the darkness...

"The human needs food doesn't she?" Seth questioned slowly.

Blaire looked up with a surprised look, a slight blink given. However after a moment he slowly nodded. Those bright eyes shimmering... Had the Mustang been crying? For his friend?

"She won't say anything... But I know she's getting weak." Blaire muttered softly.

"How much longer can she last?" Seth asked, gaining a sigh from Blaire.

"I don't know... I've never really asked..."

Seth whimpered softly and looked down the empty street towards the station. Sheriff trusted him not to screw up. Sheriff was an old car... He should be able to trust his own son enough to be able to go get the sleep he needed and deserved...

The black Mustang choked softly, surprised at the sting of hot tears against his hood. He didn't want to disappoint the Sheriff... However he couldn't stop his tires from moving forward as he rolled towards the impound lot.

Blaire pulled back wearily and in the back he could spot Joe and Ranger both stirring and sitting up.

For several long moments Blaire and Seth stared at each other. Both Mustangs... One sterling silver and one midnight black... One a much newer model... One classic design... Slowly Seth lifted a tire and hit the switch. The noise was louder than he would have liked. The gears turned as the gate slowly opened. The three occupants stared at Seth in puzzlement.

"Go... If you hurry you can make the mountains before morning..." Seth muttered softly. Blaire smiled and quickly slipped past him, a light nudge of thanks given in his wake. Joe was fast behind him leading Ranger by the makeshift leash made of her belt... He was more than a little surprised when she leaned over and pressed her mouth to his hood in a light kiss. It seemed almost affectionate as she took off after Blaire. Within' strides she had jumped up on the hood of blaire, the dog right behind her, leaving Blaire to move much faster down the darkened street.

Seth watched them go in silence. The weight had somewhat lifted. Though another one was in the pit of his fuel tank. What was he going to tell the Sheriff. He gave a slight sniff and turned around to head back towards the station. It could wait until morning... Or not...

He jumped back in surprise. He didn't know how long he had been there... But Sheriff was parked in the middle of the street quietly staring at him. The neutral look gave nothing away... He couldn't tell if he was disappointed or simply had... Expected him to mess up.

In that moment whatever pride Seth had ever felt cracked. He sank to the ground, with a shudder, tears flowing freely as he shook his grill. "Dad I'm so sorry... I couldn't let it happen I'm sorry" He repeated over and over, eyes squeezing tightly shut.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed there. In a hysterical heap on the ground in the middle of town. He supposed time had slipped by. After a while he became aware of someone beside him. Attempting to speak to him. Break through that hysteria... Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought this might have happened before. In another lifetime... Sheriff had calmed him down before... He was almost sure of it. Sheriff's voice was beginning to break through. Not really saying anything. Speaking softly as a parent would to a frightened child. A parent chasing away the nightmares...

After a while Seth simply didn't have anything left in him... No energy left to even give towards his own pain. The bit in his fuel tank had lifted... Whatever happened... Happened...

"Seth?" Sherif quietly questioned, a tire lightly bumping 'cross his side panel in an light calming gesture.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered softly in response.

To his surprise Sheriff chuckled. "You've worked yourself up to fits Seth..."

"I let the prisoners go..."

"I know. I saw it. I was here remember?"

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be." Sheriff muttered quietly, a sigh muttered as he lightly rest his grill against Seth's side panel, a shudder going through the older car. "I'm so proud of you..."

Seth blinked quietly. His eyes burned, and he knew he looked horrible. Pride was the last thing on his mind and he hadn't expected it from his father.

"You're... Proud?"

"You'll understand one day Seth. Ya stood up for something tonight... I'm proud of you."

Seth sighed softly in relief, Lizzie's words ringing in his mind. She had been right. No matter what...

"I love you Dad..." Seth muttered, gaining a soft chuckle from Sheriff. "I love you to son... Now go on down to the station and make yourself a hot cup of oil and go to bed. I'll be home after I run a quick patrol... We both need the sleep and I think the town can survive one night without a patrolling officer."

Seth had no argument there. He lightly nuzzled against his father and got to his tires, rolling his way down the street. After a moment he turned around and shot his father a light smile. "Thanks Dad"

Sheriff chuckled and would only raise a tire in a quick form of salute.

The older patrol car watched the street long after Seth was gone. It all seemed rather strange to him. His first reaction upon seeing Seth open the gates he was responsible for guarding had been to scold him. However in that moment of seeing such sorrow in the Mustang... All of that was gone. His son had done the right thing. His son... Again... Strange... Though he was getting use to it.

"Thank you..." He muttered softly to whoever out there might listen. It was amazing how one never realized just how empty their live was... Until there was something to fill it. Slowly he turned back around to head back down the street to the last patrol of the night... And stopped dead in his tracks.

The street was no longer empty. At the end of the street a black car sat parked. Low set to the ground it was sporty... Crimson eyes stood out against the darkness... In that moment something else of the night hit his mind.

Through his mind Lizzie's voice rang out again. "That nice man came to see me again. That nice young man is going to take me dancing tonight."

Sheriff was more than a little surprised as he felt tears touch his eyes. The car slowly backed up and without a sound of his engine rolled away in the night.

"Save a dance for me Lizzie..." Sheriff whispered softly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night... Just after Flo tucked her into bed... Long before speaking to Seth. Long before the events of the night. Long before the strange dark figure...

At the age of one hundred and ten... Lizzie quietly died in her sleep. Her spirit may have left the body behind... Frail and weak as it was... But oh how she danced...

A nice young man took her dancing. In death she never felt more alive.

Rest in peace dear Lizzie...

Fin

Not really...

Anyone see where I scared myself? **Shudders** Creepy car...

Did anyone catch that Lizzie was already dead when she was talking to Seth?

That seems to be a common thread... If you read Death's Lessons and Life's Lessons most likely ya caught it, if not it might have gotten lost. And that's what happened there...


End file.
